Lubrication for the cylinders The pistons and valves need a good/proper supply of lubrication. The oil that is used should be steam oil or a heavy duty oil that is designed to take the high temperatures of steam (125 psi is around 350 F I believe) without breaking down and losing its lubrication properties. On our engines, we use a mechanical lubricator which will pump the oil into the steam lines. The 2-4-0 has a single feed lubricator from Coles. The 4-6-0 has a single feed lubricator and the 2-8-2 has a dual feed lubricator, both from American Model Engineering Supply. The single feed lubricators feed the steam oil into the steam line, just before it branches to the two cylinders. The dual feed feeds oil to the steam just before it enters the valve chamber. All of the feeds have a check valve before the oil enters the steam line to keep steam from blowing back to the lubricator. The feed of lubrication should not be so much that it drains the tank quickly and causes oil droplets to come out the stack, but enough that there is a fine film of oil on the piston and valve rods and on the bores. If too little oil is fed, the bores may be dry which can lead to scoring and extra friction that the engine needs to overcome. The picture of the bore is from the 4-6-0 and I took that picture in the fall of 2012. She was finished in 2001 and the bores are not scored and the machine marks are still visible. When Dad and I started working on the Spirit of Traverse City (15 gauge 4-4-2) in 2004, she did not have a lubricator for the cylinders. They pumped 3 pumps of 10W-30 oil into the valve chamber each time they stopped at the station after a 0.4 mile trip. They also had to hone the bores each year due to scoring and replaced the rings every few years as they started leaking. While some people feel that the water (condensation) in the steam will lubricate the cylinders, it really wont. I know a few people who had compound engines on steam boats and they said when they installed a lubricator for the cylinders that the engines ran smoother, quieter and did not have to work as hard and they were able to get more speed once they had proper lubrication. We installed a dual feed lubricator (from American Model Engineering) in July 2004 and it has operated well from 2004-2011 when the City of Traverse City got rid of the train. The engine ran an average of 35-40 miles per day for about 100 days a year and we have never had to replace any part of the lubricator. Since adding the lubricator the engine drifted a lot easier and the scoring subsided. During the winter of 2004/05 we honed the bores and installed new rings, 1 new piston and 2 new valves. We did not need to touch them after we did that. All of our mechanical lubricators are driven off the link so they will receive a constant supply of oil. If it is driven off the top of the lead and lap lever, when the engine is hooked up, the oil feed will be slower than when the engine is in the corner.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 14:07:54 +0000
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